Albanian protests sparked by Jared Kushner-backed luxury resorts, set to snowball into anti-corruption movement

Thousands of Albanians have filled the streets of the country’s capital Tirana for the 21st consecutive day in protests sparked by a luxury tourism development concern backed by Jared Kushner in an area rich in natural beauty.

Outrage over plans to build the historically protected area of ​​Pishë Poro-Narta on the country’s coast has grown into a movement against allegations of corruption in the Albanian government and the country’s ruling party.

Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, is among a group of investors looking to build a luxury resort on Albania’s Sazan Island and the country’s Adriatic coast. Early planning documents reviewed by CBS News show the project could include 800 guest rooms and suites, luxury villas, a golf course, a casino, a water park, and townhouses and apartments.

CBS News sought comment from Kushner’s firm Affinity Partners earlier this month to confirm his involvement in the project. The company referred CBS News to Sazan Real Estate Development, and a spokesperson for that company said it represents all investors in the project “who are involved in their work.”

“This project is in its design and iteration phase, and our team continues to develop the scope, approach, and vision through a deliberate process that prioritizes environmental care and reflects the natural beauty of the country. We look forward to continued discussions about the potential of this project and its potential to make Albania a great place in the world,” said a statement from Sazan Real Estate on CBS News18 in June.

The planning documents also specify who else is supporting the deal financially. Among the parties involved are Qatar-based Asset Group, owned by brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al Khayyat, Syrian-born billionaires with ties to the Qatari royal family, and Washington.

They attended the inauguration of President Trump, and according to the New York Times, his brother Mohamad Al Khayyat previously lobbied American lawmakers to lift sanctions on Syria and floated the idea of ​​building a golf course named after Trump in the country.

A Sazan Real Estate representative confirmed the Al Khayyat brothers’ involvement in the project to CBS News on Thursday.

Business filings reviewed by CBS News on Monday appear to show that Sazan Real Estate was originally registered and incorporated in Qatar. The documents cite Al Khayyat’s Assets Group as the company’s partner.

These documents also appear to indicate that Sazan Real Estate is the parent company of Zvërnec South Adriatic Development. According to the local report, Zvërnec South Adriatic Development is the firm that has the permission to develop the building on the island of Sazan and near the coast of Pishë Poro-Narta.

Documents reviewed by CBS News also reveal that Zvërnec South Adriatic Development is controlled by a complex structure of five separate shell companies registered and formed in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Albanian activists told CBS News that a lack of transparency from the government — both about the project and broader issues related to alleged corruption — is driving the anger behind the protests, which have been some of the largest seen in Albania since the fall of communism in the country in 1991.

“There was no public consultation,” Aleksandr Trajce, executive director of the leading conservation group, Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), told CBS News earlier this month. “No one was notified. In just one day, we saw tractors coming in and opening roads, cutting down trees, destroying mounds and so on. So the public didn’t know anything.”

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has led Albania since 2013, has insisted that the project will continue despite growing public pressure.

He promoted development as a potential economic benefit for the country, which has the lowest GDP per capita in Europe.

Rama’s socialist government has been facing corruption charges since charges were filed late last year against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is a close friend of the leader. The country’s parliament, led by a majority of socialists, has however blocked his arrest.

A spokesman for Albania’s independent anti-corruption organization SPAK confirmed to CBS News last week that it had opened an investigation into the planned development, but said the investigation “does not affect any company associated with Mr. Kushner.”

CBS News accompanied protesters earlier this month to the village of Zvërnec on Albania’s southern coast, where further development is planned. There was no sign of tractors or construction materials beyond the tire tracks on the beach.

Protesters blamed the Albanian government’s efforts to quell public anger over the project, but also told CBS News that the initial development work has caused environmental damage.

A local environmental officer working with PPNEA told CBS News that the group documented the destruction of one sea turtle nest in the area with a bulldozer.

As the protests continue, Sazan Real Estate Development told CBS News that “the future will be decided by the Albanian people and the Albanian people.”